Eva’s Heritage Borscht

Remember back in February, when I put out a call for help to come make soup to be photographed for a cookbook to benefit the Soup Sisters? (It’s a Calgary organization (now national) that brings together groups who along with a guest chef instructor, gather to cook together, eat together, then package up the pots of soup they’ve prepared to deliver to women’s and children’s shelters.) You came. You chopped. One of you brought ski goggles to protect yourself from the onions. And look what happened – we helped make a book!

It’s beautiful, and full of delicious soups contributed by chefs and volunteers who have helped with Soup Sisters events. I made 10 L of soup this morning – sweet potato, carrot and red lentil – for the book launch at Model Milk Bistro this afternoon, but this recipe seemed seasonally appropriate to share, what with its cabbage and beets and carrots and green beans – and because it needs more time to simmer on the stove than most soups, it’s perfect for those chilly days when the smell of something warm and delicious cooking in your kitchen is more warming than wooly socks and an old cardigan. It was contributed by the awesome Karen Anderson, owner of Calgary Food Tours. (Note: Karen simmers her beets, but I’m a fan of roasting them, and often wrap a few in foil to tuck into the oven alongside a roasting chicken or some such – once roasted they can hang out in their foil jackets in your fridge – in a bowl, in case of drips – until you need them.)

And hey, I picked up a few copies at the book launch to share with you, even though technically it doesn’t release until Tuesday. (I had almost forgotten about our little Free Stuff thing we have going… I need to go down the basement and see what goodies I have to share.) I have three copies, hot off the press – for a chance at one of them, leave a comment here. Say anything – if you’re stuck for a topic, let’s hear about your favourite soup. Or what you had for dinner tonight. Or what you’re looking forward to most about Monday morning.

Thanksgiving will be potluck with family and coworkers–a tradition started a few years back. I’ll be bringing gravy (barefoot contessa has a delicious make ahead gravy recipe that’s been my go to for years–saves time on t-day and makes lots).

Congratulations to Soup Sisters on the launch!!! I have fond memories of the soup-a-thon in the Cookbook Co kitchen. So if I’m not one of the lucky few to win one–where can a girl buy a copy?? 🙂

I love chilled soups, especially gazpacho and cucumber-melon soup. Now that fall is here, any soup with potatoes and bacon is great! And it’s hard to beat a great french onion soup. Looking forward to this book!

What a great project! And what a great book–I adore soups and stews. I also adore borscht (despite hating beets-go figure), and this looks right up my alley. I think anything with sour cream is up my alley, really. 🙂

Hi Julie! I love the concept of this book and bravo to every single person who is involved with Soup Sisters.
I have two things to say tonight. The first is about my favourite soup, which is my Greek mother’s version of avgolemeno. My mother’s is always unbelieveably creamy, lemony and topped with a mixture of soft-peaked egg whites…heaven is a bowl.The second is about tonight’s dinner in our home. I have 3 sons, and I am constantly trying to teach them to be independent citizens/fantastic future husbands in this world. My middle son wanted to help with dinner tonight…a perfect opportunity to infuse some wisdom. We made a salad of organic greens, cukes, blue cheese and toasted pine nuts. He made the dressing, which he declared perfect. We shared in prepping the brussel sprouts, which he then sauteed in some olive oil and butter on the stovetop. He gently folded them again and again and added the maple syrop. Another declaration of perfection ensued! Lastly, he completely prepared the garlic cheese bread. This time it was our youngest, our carboholic, who yelled out “this is perfect! So cheesy!”
The funny thing was that I had been craving Jamie Oliver’s version of tomato soup, but wasn’t up for making it tonight. Dinner, tonight, was indeed perfection, with the added bonus of hubby clearing the dishes.

Here is a 2nd vote for Best of Bridge Hamburger Soup. My niece fractured both arms last summer so I cooked up a double batch and took it, and a Fruit Cocktail Cake up to her and her family in Edmonton. I hope the gift of food helped ease the pain.
I seriously want to make that Borscht for myself though!

Favorite soup: my mom’s chicken soup. It’s the only thing I want when I’m sick. I can never get it to taste the same when I make it. It’s amazing how much better soup tastes when someone makes it for you when you’re feeling under the weather.

Favorite soup: pea soup (carrot ginger close 2nd). I have a memory about this book already … Of reading about your call for choppers and subsequently learning about Soup Sisters in February while nursing my then 4 week old. He’s so big now and eating soup himself:). Love your blog!

I absolutely love a war hearty bowl of cream of potato and leek soup with some flaky biscuits on the side. I am in love with the autumn season and change in temperature as it means the stock pots make a weekly appearance.

Oooh, I don’t think I can choose a favourite soup; I love homemade soup so much and have several favourite recipes. But, I will say my daughter (12 y/o) has a favourite, and it’s Julie’s lentil and sausage soup. It’s perfect too with a dollop of sour cream. Yummm.

So excited about this book! As a university student, I’m still quite partial to my mama’s homecooking. Alas, my favourite soup is probably her chicken and rice soup. There aren’t any special ingredients in it- really, chicken and rice, stock, and seasoning- but my mom puts cinnamon in it, and oh my god, I swear magic happens. The simple things in life are clearly the best. Love your blog, Julie!

I love a cheddar-cauliflower soup from the Milk calendar YEARS ago but my current fave is a Pumpkin Cheddar soup I now make every fall and stash in single servings in my freezer. Mmmmmmm. (And I’m just going to come out and say it….I love Campbell’s good old fashioned Cream of Mushroom from a can. Salty, creamy, fake-y goodness right there. Ah, I feel so free now that that’s out in the open! Don’t judge 😉 )

Best thing about Monday mornings? Monday Lunch Club! Six of us at work take turns providing lunch for the group each week in our staff room. We set the table, linens, themes – great way to start the week.

I have some Bosc pears that I roasted yesterday (after they refused to ripen) so will cook some parsnips in chicken stock, throw in the pears, use the immersion blenders and voila – pear and parsnip soup. I love soup! – the working mom’s secret weapon.

Man, I feel a bit inadequate after reading all the amazing soups everyone is making! I thought I was great at soup but I guess I really only make about three types…..red lentil/carrot, mixed veggie, and regular lentil. Pea and asparagus? potato and leek? caldo verde? Yum!! and Mia’s sons who help so much in the kitchen? wow, that is so great.

Okay, I’ll just have to go right ahead in this gorgeous fall weather and start some soup and I’m going to begin with pea and asparagus.

I would love a copy of the book. I’m feeling a tad un-inspired with cooking lately and this might be the kick I need.

I love Mondays because they mean I’m that much closer to another weekend! This morning for breakfast … I’m eating banana bread. I might eat some more in a few hours for morning snack. It has bananas in it …

I love soup! I love making it, and I love eating it. My favourite is the simplest Potage Parmentier (potato and leek soup), and my husband’s favourite is an adapted version of the Looneyspoon sister’s broccoli cheese soup. When I say adapted, I mean that I ususally use full fat, full bodied aged cheddar and sour cream-mmmmmmm.

This past year I started getting into making homemade soups as a healthy and inexpensive dinner option and a way to get more veggies into our diet. With a baby on the way I stocked our freezer with our favourites – roasted cauliflower, Dijon maple carrot, curried yam and parsnip, roasted red pepper. Now that our son is here and getting bigger I am hoping to get some time over the winter to experiment with some new recipes to add to our favourites.

Best soup I ever had was with leftovers from Christmas a few years ago. A motley mix of roasted veg (tonnes of garlic!), a spot of gravy, leftover ham juice/stock (it was in the pot) from the freezer and pureed it all. Topped it off with a chopped up chunk of prime rib. The best!

In the soup category I either go for comforting, plain and sturdy or exotic and adventurous. Two favorites of late are Miso Soup and Thai Coconut Chicken. I’d love to have the Soup Sisters Cookbook…what an elegant, inviting and simple cover. Kudos to all involved.

Hi Julie
I made your lentil, sweet potato and carrot soup (from Spilling the Beans) yesterday too! My 4 year old daughter requested it for supper, and my 16 month old son eats two huge bowls every time I make it. It makes my heart happy to feed them such a gorgeous orange bowl of love!

That mushroom soup is the best thing I’ve ever eaten….. And I’ve eaten a LOT 🙂
Everyone needs a copy of this book for themselves and a half dozen to share. Julie, your photography is mouth wateringly stunning! Thank you so much for all of your hard work that day. You can be proud of your efforts. 🙂

What a wonderful concept – will have to look for Soup Sisters here in Toronto. Thanksgiving dinner is going to be smoked turkey and sides (anything that looks fresh and tasty at the farmer’s market on Saturday morning). Oh and of course, pumpkin pie!

I love borscht but I was at a loss for what to do with the leftover cabbage (I make half portions because I’m one person and it doesn’t freeze we’ll)… I started subbing in Brussel sprouts instead and it’s my go to now.
Also, my friend and I are obsessed with your blog… Thanks Julie!

I love making soup! My Ukrainian Mom made the best borscht and I use the same recipe. I mix sour cream with a bit of flour and add it to the pot at the end, simering gently. It makes the soup a lovely pink and then of course, you need another big dollop of sour cream on top. I do not add cabbage or vinegar, just a lot of fresh veggies. I also love a Parsnip soup.

My mother who is going on 93 years of age and I live on soup. We each make our favourites and swap so that our freezers are always stocked up for the fall and winter. We believe that homemade soup along with porridge every day is the secret to a long and healthy life.

Soup of the eeevening, glorious soooup…
It is, has been, and always will be a fixture at our table. Through the winter, it’s soup and the ‘starch of the day’ (bread; biscuits; muffings; cornbread; nachos…). We have greek lentil soup; your lentil, sweet potato and carrot soup (regular rotation!); hamburger soup in all ts incarnations (ha ha!); Kwaami’s peanut soup; assorted curried soups/ dal variations; beef ‘n’ barley; mulligatawny… you name it.
Love the Soup Sisters and all they do. Julie, will you have a link to buy the cookbook here?

I’m a big fan of chowders, but I they’ve been relegated to an occasional treat since cream, bacon and potatos aren’t my biggest fans. I’ll be making some kind of tomato and potato curry tonight to use up the bounty from my CSA.

The only thing my husband likes to cook is soup! We enojy making huge vats of kale, spicy sausage and potato soup. So very easy and a great way to use up the bumper crop of kale, swiss chard, spinach we grew this year.

We had slow roast leg of lamb (our own) with whole garlic cloves and rosemary, potatoes – mashed with tzatziki leftovers the put into a casserole dish and topped with crumbled herbed goat cheese and tucked in the already hot oven to melt the cheese, steamed broccoli and purple cauliflower. Chocolate zucchini cake for dessert!

I think my new favorite might be this that you just posted. Ribs, beets, green beans? Yes please. But my favorite comfort soup is Hamburger Soup. So comforting and delicious on a cold day. With a cheese biscuit of any kind. Mmmmm.

Yesterday I made 2 soups to use up vegetables from my garden. The last of the zucchini and my dads apples went into curried apple zucchini soup from one of Anne Lindsays cookbooks. The last of the tomatoes went into a curried fresh tomato soup (along with my garden carrots)which is a Taste of Home recipe. Both very good!

I just love beet soup this time of year, what is it about fall that makes you want to have a warm,savory bowl of soup and a nice chunk of grainy bread to accompany it? That cookbook sure looks good, I was taking a course at the Cookbook Company when I first encountered the Soup Sisters concept,the class had finished and the Soup Sisters group were coming in to make up the big pots of soup in their kitchen, such a great idea!

Once the cooler weather sets in we eat a lot of soup – always homemade. My favourite is scotch broth with big chunks of lamb in it and lots of barley. I had the first batch today for lunch – it was delish! If you don’t give me one of these books I will just have to buy one. Thanks for sharing the borscht recipe – it may be the next soup in my pot. Great website!

As we are overwhelmed with boxes of tomatoes strewn over the basement floor, it will soon be time to make a giant batch of Russian Tomato Soup. In the past it has looked pretty neat if we were able to make it using only yellow or orange tomatoes. Based on the picking we did yesterday afternoon, this year it will be red soup.
And the excess of cherry and currant tomatoes will be oven-roasted for snacks.

We had lot’s of family from out of town visit on the weekend so I had a soup party. I had three soups hot on the stove and/or crock pot so people could help themselves at any time. We had a corn/bacon chowder, curried sweet potato, carrot and red lentil soup from Spilling the Beans cookbook and a roasted tomato/red pepper and meatball soup. I made a salad and fresh cheese buns. My mother in-law made a plum cake served with fresh whipped cream. It was great.

We had lot’s of family from out of town visit on the weekend so I had a soup party. I had three soups hot on the stove and/or crock pot so people could help themselves at any time. We had a corn/bacon chowder, curried sweet potato, carrot and red lentil soup from Spilling the Beans cookbook and a roasted tomato/red pepper and meatball soup. I made a salad and fresh cheese buns. My mother in-law made a plum cake served with fresh whipped cream. It was great.

I am totally torn and cannot decide whether my favorite is the hamburger soup from Best of Bridge, Chicken and Dumplings from Comfort food book or a spicy bowl of Pho from Chinatown – oh dear so many choices. I would love to win a copy of the book – was planning on buying one for weekend!!
Thank you for the blog, it is wonderful!

The best thing about our delightful Canadian winters is that we can enjoy so many different soups. Each soup tells a story and can take us to a different place. They certainly make the grey days a little less bleak.

Soup is a staple around here, too. I also make a pot on the weekends to lunch on during the week. Any kind is good but I always make stock when I roast a turkey or chicken so end up with lots of soup starters that way and depending on what is in the fridge, go from there. Looking forward to getting the soup season started now!

Well actually, I just stopped off to say hello, and how are you?, and happy fall.

But soup! I’ve been dogging down bowl after bowl of a long-simmered minestrone (River Cafe style) for an entire week, now. Feeling like this is the year of soup. Or maybe just the season. Love the stuff.

My favourite soup is a curried butternut squash and kale soup taught to me by a friend. It was the first soup I’d ever made, and one of the first dishes I’d ever cooked on my own before, and it opened my eyes as to how easy it was to cook and how much better home-cooked food tastes. Haven’t looked back since!

Good Morning Dearest Julie,
What a sweet surprise to see Grandma Eva’s Borscht 1)so beautifully photographed by you and 2) here on your fabulous blog.
Thank you for sharing your talents and your unwavering warmth and support.
You are my “fountain of creativity” friend.
Big hugs, Karen
PS – I’m going to roast the beets!

I love soup of any kind, especially in fall, but my 4 daughters are not big soup fans. One soup that we love to make together, (and some of them will actually eat!) is your won ton soup – loaded with veggies — it’s so yummy!!

How exciting! I was there making soup with you. I love making soup, but lately have started buying it–addicted to the spicy Thai chicken soup at the stock and sauce co. (Farmers’ Mkt.) I cook up some veggies like cauliflower and green beans and use the soup as a flavorful sauce on top of it.

I made douk borsht…borscht, let just call it cabbage soup. I got on a plane in Kelowna a couple weeks ago and security thought it was weird that I was bringing a couple cabbages from the kootenays instead of peaches plums etc. as carry-on. It was the first time he saw a cabbages as carry-on. Everybody was telling me on my visit with family about how many canners of borsht they all made for their kids that came for the summer and I felt so left out. And all that talk of borsht…well I just had to have some.
So It was the first time in a long time that I actually had to chop all that cabbage, I usually just use a large bag of cole-slaw mix (just pick out all the purple cabbage). Anyway there are several big canning jars full of the stuff.
But the other day I ordered some roasted tomato soup at a restaurant and I’ve been obsessed with the stuff, and my attempt didn’t measure up. I hope there’s a good recipe for roasted tomato soup in the book.

Butternut squash soup warms my soul like none other. I was married last year in September at the beautiful Eagle’s Eye Restaurant at Kicking Horse Ski Resort, and although we had chosen most of our menu in advance, our soup choice was to be left Chef’s choice. When a cup of beautiful, smooth butternut squash soup arrived in front of me, I knew it had to be a sign of good things to come!

I was thinking of making Avgolemono soup (Greek lemon and egg soup) tonight. I’ve never had it before but it sounds easy and interesting, and I have all the ingredients to make it including some homemade chicken stock.

Now that the weather is drawing in, I’m thinking of soups. Then I saw your post! I have to bake some beets and make borsht! My top favourite soup is pea and ham – I always get a ham with the bone in so I can make soup from it. Next is broccoli and cheese, what sharp cheese. Then I love French onion soup. Creamy clam chowder, cheap tomato soup (make allowances for me, I just love it 🙂 ) Campbell’s cream of mushroom soup (I know, but it’s great, you know? 🙂 ) and home made chicken soup. I make it myself, and it takes two days, but it is a healer and it’s lovely. 🙂

You aren’t gonna believe this….we had borscht for supper on Monday night.

Here’s the low down….my new friend Suki suggested we “do some chore at each other’s house that takes about an hour, hour and a half, so we can do the job, visit & not feel like we didn’t accomplish anything” The rules were – nothing disgusting & no vacuuming (cuz you can’t chat & vacuum). So….. she helped me defrost my deepfreeze & I helped her clean-out/organize her garage. It was a brilliant way to do chores & they didn’t seem like chores. I got a clean freezer & her garage is looking amazing. She can even park a car in there again.

In my deep freeze we found cooked/grated beets from last year so I tossed them into some turkey broth & added chopped onions, carrots & finely diced potatoes. Dill from the garden (the only thing the puppy hasn’t eaten) at the end. Then I opened the sour cream container – eek it was actually some oysters also from the deep freeze. So some plain yogurt was the cooling agent & the kids asked for it in their lunches for tomorrow….yay borscht.

We don’t have a Soup Sisters in Nanaimo but I’m keeping my eye on the Victoria group & am hoping to help with one of their sessions in the next few months. We do have some Soup Mum’s at my kids school. Every Wednesday a group of 6-10 of us goes in, makes big pots of soup & the kids/staff can buy it for 50 cents….best deal in town. Kids eat at long tables in the multi-purpose room & bus their own tables. Probably something that our school is most famous for. I love being recognized outside the school as a “Soup Mum”!

Thanks Julie for your continued efforts raising the awareness of these fancytastic causes.

Hi Julie,
Love the idea of a soup cookbook, my husband has been looking at some recently, maybe now he’s retired I can teach him to cook starting with soup. We always look forward to our friend Caryle’s soup nights in January & February. She has delicious Beef Barley, Corn Chowder & vegetable soups on the stove for those that drop in with a loaf of bread or some goodies to share. Great to catchup with you at Stampede this year & get your Spilling the Beans! Love yah!

I may be too late for the draw but either way, I wanted you to know that my favourite soup is your black bean soup! I make it often using leftover ham, or a couple of sausages and filling it up with veggies. I LOVE it with a little blob of sour cream and fresh cilantro on the top!

My favourite soup is Live Long and Prosper soup, which I believe you made for Leonard Nimoy when he was here in town a couple of years ago. I loved how you described his very quiet appreciation of the soup and if my memory serves me right…you spoke about your grandfather as well? I often go to Toronto to cook for my father who is 85 and lives alone. I love to see him enjoy my soups and stews. Soup is good food.

My favourite soup is my one pot veggie. I just take what ever veggies I have, with whatever beans and some canned tomatoes, broth and herbs. It is cheap, healthy, easy and nuturious! The book looks lovely!

The most requested soup in our house is Hamburger Soup. Usually I just make it up as I go along. My daughter wanted it for her 12th birthday in August. So on a 30 deg day in August we ate hamburger soup…it was delish!

BTW…I loved your soup making day. I use the picture of the two of us as a bookmark in my One Smart Cookie cookbook. Thanks for a fun time!

Hi Julie, I love your website. I started reading it that first year and while we were away on assignment overseas it was my way of keeping my finger on the pulse back in Calgary! I look forward to making soup as we get used to cold Canadian winters again. My favourite is red lentils, onions,celery and carrot which I puree and serve with olive oil and a squeeze of lemon.

I’m in the kitchen right now simmering the ribs for Eva’s Heritage Borscht. The only thing that makes me nervous is there are no amounts for how much water to use and I have to reserve the cooking water for the soup. What if I have too much or too little?

I was surprised and disappointed to discover that the Ottawa chapter of the Soup Sisters has a one-year waiting list, and am contemplating joining together with others to start another branch. I am known as the Soup mother and have a repertoire of hundreds of recipes. But none have a recipe. I use what is on hand, especially what needs to be cleared from the vegetable drawer. Then I add a home-made broth created from meat scraps and bones (I always have a big stock pot on simmer, just like Pierre Berton’s wife used to) or in a big jug in the fridge. Add touches like cream or salsa or dried mushrooms or lemon juice and lots of spices (including spice blends in big containers that you get in the bulk food section: Greek, garlic, spaghetti seasoning etc) and fresh herbs, and you are all set for soup several times a week.

The borscht recipe is similar to the Ukrainian ones I make, but sometimes I add little mushroom stuffed peroghies or cream, depending upon the season (cream in the summer, little peroghies at Christmas). Adding chopped canned tomatoes instead of the juice makes a chunkier soup, but sometimes I add BOTH.

I would very much like to win a copy of Soup Sisters Cookbook because I would like to give it to my daughter as a gift. She is taking over the reins of extended family cooking for holidays and her new husband’s favourite food is soup. However, I might just have to buy another copy for myself as inspiration, because you are never too old to learn how to make soup another way, or a 100.